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Brian Cushing's father: 'Defenders need to be protected'

The father of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing agrees with his son's former University of Southern California teammate, Clay Matthews, that the NFL must change its seeming double standard when it comes

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The father of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing agrees with his son's former University of Southern California teammate, Clay Matthews, that the NFL must change its seeming double standard when it comes to protecting defensive players.

Cushing, the Texans defensive leader, was lost to a season-ending left ACL tear on a questionable cut block by New York Jets guard Matt Slauson in the Texans' victory Monday night.

"A technique like this and other things — yeah, defenders need to be protected,'' Frank Cushing told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday morning. "This is where Clay is coming from. We don't blame anybody. But defensive players, they need protection, too.''

Merton Hanks, the league's vice president for football operations, is reviewing Slauson's apparent clip of Cushing the NFL confirmed to USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell.

Frank Cushing and his wife, Antoinette, watched Monday's game in the MetLife Stadium suite of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, another of Cushing's former Trojans teammates. A stadium security guard immediately escorted Frank Cushing to the locker room after his son was hurt in the second quarter.

"I don't know Matt Slauson, but I have seen the play on film now,'' Frank Cushing said. "The NFL has the play on film. They're the experts. Let them call the shots. It's up to the NFL.

"The one thing I would agree with Clay Matthews is that regardless of what the NFL thinks it is, whether it is or it isn't (an illegal hit) ... as a fan and as a parent, I would send that tape to the league's rules committee to look at this with a little tag on it: Fans do come to games to see defensive players. ... There are going to be a lot of people sitting in the Reliant Stadium stands Sunday with their No. 56 Cushing jersey on, wondering where the kid is. So defensive players also get hurt. And they are also marquee players.''

Cushing is the Texans' defensive signal caller and was voted the team's MVP last season.

Matthews, a three-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, took to his Twitter feed Monday night to say with apparent anger: "Where is the NFL's protection on blocks below the waist like that on Cushing. Double standard!

"If the NFL really wants to increase player safety, start protecting players on BOTH sides of the ball.''

Cut blocks are legal, but Cushing was pursuing running back Bilal Powell with his back turned — in effect, defenseless — when his legs were taken out from behind by Slauson's block. On the play, Slauson ran past Cushing, then came back to cut him down while Cushing was in pursuit of the ball carrier.

"He got cut on that play," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday. "Obviously, cutting is part of football. But the rule says you can't come back to your own goal line and cut. So the question is, is the guy coming back to his own goal line? That's in the league's hands.

"But it doesn't change the fact that we sit here today, losing a heck of a player and having to deal with that."

Frank Cushing said Brian, who will undergo surgery in a couple of weeks, simply told his father, "Hey, it's football.''

But Frank Cushing also sees a bright side to this story.

"The good news? Brian will have a diversion — we expect Brian's son to be born next Thursday,'' he said. "His wife, Meghan, is already scheduled for a C-section. I told Brian, 'The good news is you'll be spending more time with your first born.'

"Brian's just very determined. If somebody can set a record for coming back from an ACL repair, he'll do it.''